Council, Committee Hold Second Budget Session

Maybe because I am so eager to hear about the Recreation and Inspections budgets, or maybe because oak tree pollen has clouded my mind, I posted the wrong topics for the budget meeting that was held Thursday. It was "Department of Public Works & Engineering/ Capital Budget and Other.". Next week, on Wednesday to be exact, the topics will be "Division of Public Works, Recreation & Inspections/Mayor, City Administrator."

Thursday's session was very impressive for the forthright way in which Public Works Director Eric Jackson and staffer Cynthia Smith made their presentations.Among the highlights:

--The resurfacing of 30 to 35 roads is a priority in 2012, but Jackson said he doesn't want to do so many streets "just to do them," he wants excellent work done.

--Smith said the Engineering Division's only source of revenue is street opening fees (charged to utility companies and others who cut open streets to do work). The fee is only $25 per cut and hasn't changed since 1984. "Raise the fee," said Council President Adrian Mapp.

--There will be an increase in lines for staff development, Jackson said, as it has not been done recently. Mapp commended the move.

--Jackson held a CIP (Capital Improvement Plan) Orientation for staff that covered how to fill out forms and meet deadlines. (Capital requests are for items with long-term value, such as heavy equipment or major repairs. All capital needs must be identified 90 days before the end of the year. The capital improvement plan spans several years and costs are met through bond issues.)

Jackson gave credit to Planning Board Chairman Ken Robertson for putting together the entire capital budget last year, but he said Robertson wants to give it back to the administration. Mapp expressed shock that the chairman had done what the administration is supposed to do. "That's a no-no," Mapp said.

--In answer to budget committee member Jeanette Criscione's question about shared services, Jackson said the city "will engage in as many shared services as make sense for Plainfield." Jackson said he has been meeting with "surrounding communities" to identify possible shared services.

--Mapp asked about the use of mobile speed humps to slow down speeding, but Jackson said he is not an advocate of speed humps or speed bumps in the urban environment, based on feedback from public safety personnel about damage they may cause. But Mapp said police and fire personnel "are not the people to ask" about the use of such devices. He said he is talking about mobile speed humps that can be moved as needed.

Jackson only came to the city in September 2011 and so could not offer historical background on some issues, but the governing body seemed pleased with his approach as department head. Councilwoman Annie McWilliams thanked him for using a format she developed for budget deliberations when she was council president in 2010 and 2011. Jackson's term is concurrent with the mayor's, meaning he will serve through December 2013.

Aspects of his department will also be discussed at the next two budget sessions, 7 p.m. Wednesday (April 25) and Thursday (April 26)  in City Hall Library.

--Bernice